Theoretical equipment

The ALF group, dedicated to advanced research, has built a high-performance computing (HPC) cluster to carry out complex simulations and analysis. This cluster was initiated in 2017 thanks to a Leonardo BBVA grant, a subsidy that recognizes and supports researchers and creators with great potential in Spain.

Since its inception, the cluster has experienced significant growth driven by various research projects, among which the ERC Starting Grant ATTOSTRUCTURA stands out, funded by the European Research Council. This project has provided additional resources that have allowed the expansion of the cluster and the incorporation of new technologies and processing capabilities.

In terms of hardware, the cluster includes 13 computing nodes equipped with Intel Xeon Gold processors. These processors are known for their high performance and efficiency in handling intensive computing workloads. Additionally, the cluster has 5 nodes that utilize graphical processing units (GPUs). GPUs are essential for tasks requiring massive parallel processing, such as machine learning, simulation of complex physical phenomena, and analysis of large datasets.

This HPC cluster is a crucial tool for the ALF group, allowing researchers to execute complex calculations and model systems on a scale that would be impossible with conventional computing equipment. The combination of high-performance CPUs and specialized GPUs offers a versatile and powerful platform that can be adapted to a wide variety of scientific and technological research projects.

CLUSTER COMPONENTS AND MAIN DETAILS

Main node (ATTO)
 – 2x CPU Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6140 (18 cores, 36 threads) @ 2.30 GHz
 – 192 GB RAM DDR4 2666 MHz ECC
 – 4x GPU NVIDIA A30
 – Hard drive 1TB SSD
 – Ethernet 10G
 – Infiniband 56G

Storage node (NAS)
 – 2x CPU Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6140 (18 cores, 36 threads) @ 2.30 GHz
 – 192 GB RAM DDR4 2666 MHz ECC
 – 1x GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
 – Hard drive 512GB SSD
 – Shared storage 24TB RAID 5  
 – Ethernet 10G
 – Infiniband 56Gb

Computing nodes (nodo01, nodo02)
 – 2x CPU Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6140 (18 cores, 36 threads) @ 2.30 GHz
 – 192 GB RAM DDR4 2666 MHz ECC
 – Hard drive 512GB SSD
 – Ethernet 10G
 – Infiniband 56Gb

Computing nodes (nodo03, nodo04, nodo05, nodo06)
 – 2x CPU Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6240 (18 cores, 36 threads) @ 2.60 GHz
 – 192 GB RAM DDR4 2933 MHz ECC
 – Hard drive 500GB NVME
 – Ethernet 10G
 – Infiniband 56G

Computing nodes (nodo07, nodo08, nodo09, nodo10)
 – 2x CPU Intel(R) Xeon(R) Gold 6240R (24 cores, 48 threads) @ 2.40 GHz
 – 192 GB RAM DDR4 2933 MHz ECC
 – Hard drive 1TB SSD
 – Ethernet 10G
 – Infiniband 56Gb

High performance node (nodo11)
 – 2x Intel(R) Xeon(R) Platinum 8362 (32 cores, 64 threads) @ 2.80 GHz
 – 1 TB RAM DDR4 3200 MHz ECC
 – Hard drive 2TB NVME
 – Ethernet 10G

Ethernet switches:
 – 24 port TP-LINK TL-SG3424
 – 24 port D-LINK DGS-1210-24

Infiniband switch
 – 12 port Mellanox MSX6005F-1BFS 56G

Backup storage (memento)
 – Synology DS1821+
 – 100 TB RAID 5

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)
 – RIELLO SDH 2200 VA

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